


Tell me what lovers do

by lovingit



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Long-Distance Relationship, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Masturbation, Sex Talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-17 03:02:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3512798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovingit/pseuds/lovingit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They had been dating for two years, when Harry got invited to a year long program in one of the best Universities abroad, it was a really hard decision and they talked it over and over, but too much of a great opportunity to let it go, Zayn would have killed Harry if he would have rejected it, because he knows he was the only reason tying him there, and back then they were sure they would be able to make it, it’s just a year, years past quickly, their love have been strong since day one so a bit of time apart wouldn’t be a reason to have it ending, it’s just a year, they said.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tell me what lovers do

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cantgetnoworse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cantgetnoworse/gifts).



> I hope this story fulfill correctly and that you enjoy it!   
> And thanks to my beta for dealing with my delay.
> 
> I don't own any of the characters here, except the original female one, and of course not the social networks I mentioned in some parts.

Zayn could feel the humidity of the weather getting under the jacket, and lot of other clothes, he has on, curling under his beanie, sneaking it’s way under the collar he has lifted up so it could at least protect him a little bit, in all honesty he has never been a winter person, it’s not like he gets sick easily, he just prefers to spend it on his bed under his sheets and covers with a certain warm body pressed against his, and right now; that’s not possible, any part of it. 

Classes ended abnormally early today, which he would thank all the people up there for, it’s a damn cold day, and he wouldn’t like being outside when it’s too dark as usually is when he leaves this Friday’s evening class. At least, his flat isn’t that far away from campus, both him and Louis are pretty bad at getting up early that’s why they decided to get this place closer, almost two months ago -they had their share of shitty places before accommodating on a good one- so it’s never that bad of a walk, specially if he’s got J Cole pounding from his earphones. 

 

He immediately kicks off his boots after locking the door behind himself, takes off his jacket and after it his beanie, running a hand over his hair messing it even more, it’s getting too long. Apparently Louis wasn’t there, or so it seems when Zayn calls for him and no one answers, so he makes a beeline to his room and sighs, resting his beanie on his desk and turning on his heels to walk to his closet.

 

“For an artist, you are not that observant” a deep husky, and _oh so familiar_ , voice almost makes him jump to the ceiling. 

 “My fucking God, Harry, you almost killed me here!” the shock of the situation made him last two more seconds before he really put his fingers on what was happening. How his boyfriend, the one he hasn’t seen in three months, was there sprawled on his bed, pink lips curled up on that smile that makes Zayn weak at the knees, green eyes shinning, mile long legs crossed. “Harry!” he let out, mixed with a gasp, before he was running and throwing himself over him.

 “I missed you too” Was all Harry said before they were kissing, not wasting anymore time because three months is too long, time without each other is always too long, and even if Harry introduced him to Skype sex; it is not enough. 

 

 

Having a long distance relationship is too hard sometimes, most of the time, more when you know how it feels having that person with you all the time. This thing, the distance thing, started a bit over three months ago. They had been dating for two years, when Harry got invited to a year long program in one of the best Universities abroad, it was a really hard decision and they talked it over and over, but too much of a great opportunity to let it go, Zayn would have killed Harry if he would have rejected it, because he knows he was the only reason tying him there, and back then they were sure they would be able to make it, it’s just a year, years past quickly, their love have been strong since day one so a bit of time apart wouldn’t be a reason to have it ending, it’s just a year, they said.

 

 

Later that night, they were just laying on Zayn’s bed, Harry’s arms around him and he was able to hide his face on his neck, just breathing him in like he has misses so much -he wishes he could bottled it up, the way Harry smells, the vanilla and cologne and just something else that is him, just him, and then spray it over his bed every morning so it wouldn’t go away ever and he wouldn’t miss it as much- and Harry’s fingertips running up and down his spine, the room completely silent and just a bit of moonlight entering through his window lighting up Harry’s profile and his curls, like he has a hallo around him. 

 

“How much time do we have?” Zayn whispers against Harry’s skin, feeling the goose bumps forming under his mouth.

 “Just the weekend, I have to go back for Monday so I can go back to classes, you know how strict they are with the absences regimen, this actually was a bit of an escapade, I didn’t think it through, I just couldn’t stop thinking about seeing you and decided to come…well now I’ve had, in more than one way” and of course he wiggles his eyebrows when Zayn looks up at him making said lad roll his eyes but laugh anyway.

 “Yeah, and I’m really happy you came to see me…” he rolls his eyes when Harry gives him a look “And I’m happy you came on the other sense too, are you content now?”

 “Very” 

 

 

They end up having a second round after that, they just have two days after all, might as well make the best of the time left. 

 

 

The time with Harry in town was used to go out with the rest of the boys that came to say 'hi' the next day with Louis –Zayn discovered then that Louis was actually part of the plan of Harry appearing like that on his bed, Harry told him and requested for him to leave them alone for that night, Louis was happy to comply because it meant a night at Liam’s anyway, and they are always up for those- and to spend time alone, just doing the usual things they used to do, and yeah, to fuck, of course. And the last day together came by too quickly.

 

“Haz, your phone keeps going off” Zayn says from his place on the couch, he can hear Harry saying something from the kitchen where he is making some pop corn -they were alone thanks to Louis being nice enough to let them be and ready to watch a movie- but he wasn’t really able to made out the words so he just reaches for the device and unlocks it. There were a lot of messages from the same person, a girl apparently, judging by the ‘Melissa’ that could be read on the contact, all of them asking Harry when is he going back and how is it going, friendly questions. It makes Zayn frown. “Some Melissa is texting you a lot” he continues, lifting the phone for Harry to see when he comes back.

 “Oh, yeah, Mel is a classmate, a friend too I guess, we study together usually” He dimples at Zayn and plops next to him folding his too long legs under himself, head resting on Zayn’s shoulder as he looks over the texts. 

 “You usually text a lot?”

“Nah, I guess it’s just because I left without telling anyone, she must be curious” the sight of his pink tongue peaking at the side of his mouth as he types was distracting but not enough to have Zayn forgetting about his worries. “There it is…now where were we? Yeah, cuddles and watching movies, now hush”

 

Harry left the next morning, woke Zayn up at half past five for goodbye sex, opening him up with too much lube that he felt dripping down his thigh, and fucking into him nice and slow at first until he was truly awake and screaming into his pillow, and then going for probably other good three months or more.

 

The thing is, it has been fine, they have been fine, they thought it wouldn’t be too hard, but now that Zayn starts to look into it more and more he seems to find all the complications he didn’t see at the start.

It has always been Zayn’s thing, not worrying about things too much at the start and then worrying too much altogether when he is in front of the real thing, he gets into his own head too much and start picturing all the bad situations he didn’t when he should have, and he is confident, he is, he learned to be comfortable and confident on his own skin, to socialize more and talk, and loosen up, but Harry has always moved too fast for him, has always shine too bright, he has always been like trying to catch a lightning, and somehow Zayn was able to catch and have a part of him, but he stills shines so much, he stills stands up from the crowd as Zayn tries to be part of it, and sometimes it makes him wonder, what if Harry realize someday that he can shine so bright and he can keep moving even if Zayn wants to stay still, howeveryone notices him even when he is looking just at Zayn…and now that Zayn isn’t around…what if he notices the other people that is? What if he looks back?

But he lets it go, for now, because he can do this, they can do this, they have been going strong since day one, distance wouldn’t change that, and he knows that the way Harry looks at him; that’s just his. 

 

* * *

 

‘Zaynie

Would like to FaceTime’

 

“How you doing, babe?”

“Don’t go all Joey on me, you know it doesn’t work, not after you made me watch all the seasons in a weekend, that’s inhuman, I can’t hear a 'friends' reference without getting exasperated” Harry says and he has this way of rolling his eyes that just makes Zayn smiles fondly, he never looks annoyed at all doing it, just like he is about to get dizzy.

“You enjoyed it” Zayn retorts grinning before he was plopping on his side on his bed. “How was your day?”

“Nothing special, it was boring as hell, but tomorrow it’s interesting though, we had this great Social Enterprise conference and I’m kind of excited, it’s too early in the morning though, luckily your sleep habits haven’t rubbed off on me”

“You wish some parts of my coolness would rub off on you” 

 “I wish other parts of you would rub off on me” and it’s so Harry to say something like that, stupid crocked grin and bouncing eyebrows that Zayn can’t do anything more than laugh and shake his head amused. “Real talk though, are you up for a wank? It’s been so long” he pouts, of course he does “and you sound so good, and you look so good, you are wearing my shirt, aren’t you? Fuck, how is it possible for you to look even better everyday, to look so good swimming around on my clothes…let me see your prick, yeah?”

Zayn chokes out a laugh and shakes his head. “Smooth”

“Just for you, baby” He grins and he is now holding the phone with just one hand, the other suspiciously out of camera. “C’mon, Ze, I’m hard, have been since your stupidly beautiful face popped up…I miss you so much, miss fucking you so much”

Zayn couldn’t help but to bit his lip, his hand moving down almost unconsciously as Harry kept talking filthily, and then it was the sight of Harry jerking himself off and Zayn was just able to moan and pump himself furiously coming all over his stomach maybe a bit embarrassingly soon, but the “Fuck, babes” Harry let out and how he make a mess on his own chest was enough to make him forget about it. 

 

* * *

 

The way things started to go down, though, was probably the most trivial and weak way ever. No one even uses Facebook anymore, or at least not as much, but everyone still has it on their phones, so of course that as soon as a notification of something Harry related popped on Zayn’s screen; he was checking it up.

They tagged Harry on a picture, a picture of him dancing on a club, some girl’s arms wrapped around his neck, and when he checked the name tagged over the stranger girl; it read Melissa something, the last name didn’t even matter. 

 

 

‘Haz

Would like to FaceTime’

 

“Hiii, babe!” Harry’s face pops up all bright eyes and dimples pressing hard as he waves.

“Hey, how was your day?” Zayn put his sketchbook to the side and backs on his bed until he has his back presses against the headboard and he could be comfortable enough.

“I felt like shit, to be honest, I was right about going to a party on a Thursday, who even does that? I shouldn’t have left the guys drag me to it, it wasn’t even real fun…”

“Seemed like you were having a lot of fun to me...” He planned to mumble it to himself, but it didn’t come as soft as he thought.

Harry frowns a bit at him, Zayn hates him for looking cute with every facial expression, well, except when he gets really angry, that’s a totally different Harry. “What do you mean?”

Zayn sighs, and run a hand through his hair. “You seemed like you were having fun dancing with that girl…Melissa I think, and she looked happy hanging from your neck” he shrugs a shoulder in that way he knows irritates Harry, because it makes him look like he doesn’t really cares, or so his boyfriend says. “I saw the picture…someone tagged you on it, you looked cozy there Harry”

“Zayn…are you for real right now? It wasn’t like that at all! She asked for me to dance with her once and I did it, she is nice and just a friend, actually interested on knowing about you all the time, everyone here knows I’m dating someone Zayn, they know your name even, how can I not show you off anyway?”

And in despite of the situation Zayn couldn’t help the smile curling up the corners of his mouth.

“Flattering won’t take you anywhere…” He sighs again and look at Harry for more seconds before nodding “I trust you, Haz, it was just…kind of hard to see without a contextual explanation…”

“I get it, I think, but for real, you know you don’t have anything to worry about, I’m all yours, you know that perfectly well.”

 

And Zayn wishes he could be that confident.  

 

 

* * *

 

Zayn toes his shoes off and hangs his jacket, sighing as looks down at his phone, still nothing new.

 

“I’ll take that face as he still hasn’t called or texted?” Louis says from behind him, his own jacket being discarded. “He told you he was gonna call as soon as he was back on his room, stop worrying, your heavy vibes are giving me a headache, I need a cuppa”

“I know he is, but I’m just…I know this is gonna sound stupidly selfish but I wanted him there, I love you and you are like family but I like taking Harry to all these family events, I like watching him getting along with everyone and how he just fits in my future…” his phone was ringing before he could keep going and he gives Louis a thumb up before running to his room. 

 

“Hey there, love” Harry gets out in between a yawn.

“Careful, you almost ate your phone” Zayn chuckles unwrapping his scarf as he sits on his bed, his fingers feel cold against the skin of his neck.

“Does Doniya hate me?”

“Nah, she understands, I explained you have an exam tomorrow and all that, and it’s just the engagement party, you are gonna be here for the wedding so it’s not a big deal” Zayn shrugs and Harry’s tired smile makes him return it on a second “If anything, she might even be happy, because she came out with the idea of having another engagement dinner once you come back, you just gave her another opportunity to doll up and be on the spotlight, so I’m sure she’ll be fine."

Harry’s deep chuckle makes Zayn's heart flutter, he misses him so much. “Well, I guess it is fine then, I…”

“Harry, are you coming back?” A feminine voice calls from somewhere and Harry looks up at the source agreeing before the fading footsteps could be heard.

“Who’s that?”

“Just Mel, she and another classmate are here so we could keep studying, we were kicked out of the library, well it was already closing, so we decided to continue here until we can’t handle it anymore” Harry yawns and shakes his head pushing his curls back. “I have to go, love, but I’ll call you tomorrow as soon as I’m out of the exam, I’m gonna need you calming my nerves”

“I’m always good at that”

“Yeah, specially when you…no! Stop distracting me” He pouts adorably and Zayn couldn’t help but laugh. “For real, I’m going now, talk to you tomorrow…I love you” 

“I love you too” Zayn answers, rolling his eyes and chuckling at Harry’s kissy face, but he didn’t let Zayn end the call until he blow him a kiss too, such a ridiculous overgrown child he is.

 

 

The occurrence didn’t leave his head for much that he tried to stop thinking about it, he knows he shouldn’t be reading this much into the situation, Harry has already cleared it up for him, explained that she is just a friend, Harry has tones of friends, that’s other of the million things Zayn admires about him, how he can enter a room without knowing a single person, and exit it with everyone loving him, so; it shouldn’t be this alarming. Or maybe it does, but at the same time that he is trying to find justifications to everything; he is blindfolding himself.

 

Social networks have never been Zayn’s best friends, he remembers creating Facebook and Twitter accounts because of Louis’ insistence on him stopping being a ‘Caveman’ and then an Instagram because of Harry and his tons of stupid posts, he needed to keep updated with him somehow; and Harry was the number one supporter of it because ‘I want to experience being killed by a selfie, Ze’ and basically that’s the origin of Zayn and social networks, but they are probably declaring themselves as his mortal enemies by now. 

First, it was that stupid Facebook photo, now it was just his curiosity, that took him from checking the Melissa’s account, on when he saw Harry like a photo of, to finding exactly there; a picture of his boyfriend, fresh out of a shower, hair still damp probably judging by how he was drying it with a towel and sweatpants hanging low on his hips, she captioned it with “#bae” and a heart emoji thing, and Zayn looked at it for five minutes before turning off his phone. 

 

 

Zayn went through his usual day without checking his phone once, he actually left it at the flat before going out that morning to avoid any temptations. Focused hard in every single word the teacher had to say, had lunch with the boys listening to every detail on the conversation, worked on his assignments, actually just not giving his brain a break, not letting his mind consume him, because he is not that weak anymore, he can go on.

So, it wasn’t surprising that when just that night he dared to turn on his phone again, he had more missed calls from Harry than probably ever, and insistent texts because they never stop communicating for this long. And talking about it, seconds later his screen was lightening up with Harry’s face an incoming FaceTime call. 

 

“Zayn! God, Zayn? Where have you been? I tried reaching you the whole day” He pouts again, but somehow, it is not having it’s usual effect on Zayn. “But, first! I have good news about my exam! I did so good, Ze! I have the second best score, I’m so gonna ace this program!”

“That’s great, Haz” And he actually says it genuinely, because no matter the million thoughts that are running through his mind; he will always be proud of Harry, that’s like second nature.

“Yeah…” Harry sighs contently and plops on his bed, lifting his phone a bit more so Zayn has a good view of his face and his long curls all messy like a halo around his head.  “How are you? How was your day? Why didn’t you have your phone with you? You know we accorded that…”

“Damn, Harry, I just left it home, okay?” It was silent for some seconds and Zayn looked away from Harry’s surprised eyes sighing. “I didn’t forget about it, I left it at home”

“It’s okay, I mean, you must have needed to focus and all..”

“No, I left it because I didn’t want to talk to you, I didn’t want to see anything more”

“What?” Harry says, and he sounded genuinely confused that Zayn had to lift his eyes to look at him again “You didn’t want to see anything more?”

“Yes! Because for some reason every time I consult any of your social networks, it’s to find some new things I don’t like…and really Harry? I understand you and Melissa might be close study partners, but does she needs to be present when you take showers? Does she helps you with that too?” Zayn snaps, narrowing his eyes at a shocked Harry.

“She was not…”

“She was. She has a damn Instagram post to prove it, about you getting out of a shower, hair still wet, and you apparently being her bae, or so she captioned it, how cute” Zayn doesn’t do anger, he usually would just leave Harry yelling and get out until they have both calmed down, they usually don’t really fight, but when they do; they have different ways of doing it.

“I didn’t see that, and the only time she was there after I got out of a shower was that time we were all studying, and it’s not like she was in the bathroom with me, they were on the couch and I just went to them shirtless, Zayn I always am shirtless, all the time, you know that, everyone is used to that, everyone here is used to that by now too!” Harry visibly takes a deep breath and shakes his head. “What is happening to you lately? You doubt me a lot, and with everything that is related to Melissa, and I have explained the same thing every time, Zayn, she is a friend, you are my boyfriend and I wouldn’t do anything to betray you, and you know that! At least I thought you did!”

“Don’t do that” Zayn simply says, shaking his head “Don’t do this whole turning it all around on me thing, maybe if you weren’t so extremely friendly with her, letting her do this kind of things then we would be fine, you can’t expect me to be fine and not worrying when I know how you are”

“And how am I, Zayn? Huh?”

Zayn sighs exasperatedly. “You do this thing that makes everyone think you are leading them on, you flirt without really noticing and you don’t state boundaries, that confuses people! That confuses me!”

“There is nothing to be confused about! I’m clear on where my feelings are on, I’m clear about having a boyfriend and I’m clear about loving you, Zayn, there is nothing to be confused about! A lot of people have always said I’m a flirt, because I was, but I haven’t been since I laid eyes on you, I thought…you knew that. And I don’t really understand what is happening but I’m getting tired of you doubting me like this!” 

“And I’m getting really tired of you giving me reasons to doubt you!” Again it was silent for some seconds, Zayn was starting to second guess the whole situation, the things he said, but everything is playing with his head, he has never done really great under pressure. “…Maybe, this whole distance thing isn’t really helping us…I spend my whole time having doubts now, wondering about you and it messes with my head, I hate not having you here, and it is just coming out wrong, I’m worrying you too, I’m messing with your head thanks to my insecurities and it isn’t fair to you either… I’m not handling this the best way, and I don’t want to make you fail in all you are achieving with your effort…”

“I can’t believe you are really breaking up with me for these, over FaceTime…”

“I’m not, I’m just giving us a break, to deal with things the best way we can, a break to help me learn how to handle this, I can’t keep going like this, Harry, and I don’t want to bring you down with me…we’ll see what happens when you come back”

“Why would we need to do this? You know this is not good, Zayn, you know it even when you are saying it, I can see it in you face, what if this just ruin us?”

“Then maybe we weren’t as strong as we thought we were.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

They have always been the living proof of that ‘opposites attract” theory, completely different but similar in some ways, and their differences were always what made them complement each other, help them work out so well, but at the same time, they do have things in common; one of those is that they are both really stubborn. So, even when Zayn realized that maybe it was stupid, the giving each other a break over such simply things was, he didn’t call Harry. And Harry didn’t call him.

 

Zayn went through the last months of the year without knowing anything about Harry, disconnecting himself from social media, refusing to hear what Louis has to say except that Harry is acing the program, just as he wanted, it made Zayn smile.

He was getting through the left time not letting himself forget that it wasn’t a goodbye, it was just a break, it helped him most of the time, except at nights, when he would be alone with his thoughts, torturing thoughts about how everything could have been ruined, and how it would be his entire fault. 

Zayn himself aced his semester too, did pretty great with exams mostly because staying focused in school is always a great way of forgetting about other things. 

 

 

Today was again one of those horribly cold days, the ones Zayn hates the most, because his fingers just get too cold and stiff and he can’t even write correctly, not even thinking about drawing, and it kills him. The warm of his flat as soon as he got in was enough to have him sighing contently, and he didn’t bother on checking on Louis, his mind set on a warm shower and his bed.

It felt like Deja Vu, when the familiar form on his bed almost gave him a heart attack.

 

“You are such an idiot you know?” Harry says, sitting up, his back against the headboard, he shakes his head before Zayn could comment. “I heard you out, now you have to listen to me…You are an idiot because taking a break was probably the worst idea ever, I missed you like crazy, but I wanted you to realize it, to miss me too and realize your suggestion was stupid, you never have stupid ideas, Ze, I thought that was my role on this relationship, but this one was. But, you were right on something, you said that if everything was ruined after this, then it would have meant we weren’t as strong as we thought, and, you were right, because I realized we were not as strong as we thought…we are even more, I just love you so much, and you are such an idiot.”

In a second Harry had a lap full of Zayn, who looked at him, cupped his face and nods. “I am, and I should be the wise one on this, why are we changing roles?”

Harry laughs and shakes his head. “I guess, a part of your coolness did rub off on me”

“Shut up...” Zayn whispers leaning forward and then he stopped. “No, wait…”

“No, shut up, you” Harry whines “kiss me, that is the only thing that is suppose to happen right now,” he pulls Zayn closer again who laughs and shakes his head earning an annoyed groan.

“Wait…it’s just that, I want to know that I’m sorry, about everything, about doubting you and coming up with the worst idea ever” Zayn says sighing, pushing one of Harry’s curls behind his ear, they are even longer now. “I love you so much, and I trust you. What I told you at last was the truth, I had to deal with my own insecurities, to realize I was making a storm in a teacup, and I’m sorry about how I handled things…I love you, I do, and I just want you back.”

 “You never had to want me back, Ze, you have me now, you had me before” Harry says smiling fondly, and there it is, that way he has of looking at Zayn, the way he knows is just his. “Now please less words and more kissing, yeah? You have way too many months to make up for, you are gonna be walking funny for a week, I promise.”

“As smooth as…” He wasn’t really able to finish due to Harry’s mouth on his, but he wasn’t going to complain.

 


End file.
